National RTAP Announces Rural Transit Day

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National RTAP Announces Rural Transit Day - July 16, 2019

support • Jun 17, 2019

The nation's first #RuralTransitDay was celebrated with a Twitter Chat on July 16, 2019, moderated by Kari Banta of Texas DOT, Julia Castillo of HIRTA, and Juanita Risch of Idaho Transportation Department. The chat focused on what agencies are doing to recognize passengers and staff on #RuralTransitDay and through the year, and shared thoughts about challenges and solutions for rural transit. Read the chat transcript and summary.

We've asked some of the participants to answer the question, "What does rural transit mean to you?" Here are their answers . . .

"Rural transit means opportunity, mobility, independence and inclusion to those who live and work in remote communities, " Julia Castillo, Executive Director, Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Authority (HIRTA)

"Rural transit means the ability to get out and about in your community to shop, visit friends, and stay socially connected," Rachel Beyerle, Communications Director, Transportation Group, Easterseals, Inc.

"Rural transit means I get to enjoy a scenic route," Juanita Risch, Grants Officer, Idaho Public Transportation

"Rural transit means working together to find creative solutions for mobility. It's really about the community," Robin Phillips, Executive Director, National RTAP

"Rural transit is part of the community, not just moving people," Kari Banta, Program Manager, RTAP and Section 5310, Texas Department of Transportation

"When I think of rural transit I think of big vistas and the ability to connect people and places that seem far apart. On Rural Transit Day, let's focus on connections as we create a culture of health," Lynn Mertz, AARP Public Policy Institute

"It's all about assisting people in making the next connection, reaching desired destinations, building partnerships, it's about communities. We have a true ‘feel good’ job, where we GET to come to work every day and make a difference in people's lives," Panhandle Trails

"Small transit is a beautiful beginning of hope," Cathi Petagno, BOCC St. Lucie County Transit Division

Some tweets, with images personifying rural transit, that we'd like to share:

Florida RTAP
Panhandle Trails
Earl Public Transit
HIRTA Public Transit

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National RTAP offers one-stop shopping for rural and tribal transit technical assistance products and services. Call, email, or chat with us and if we can’t help with your request, we’ll connect you with someone who can!

" National RTAP offers one-stop shopping for rural and tribal transit technical assistance products and services. Call, email, or chat with us and if we can’t help with your request, we’ll connect you with someone who can! "

Robin Phillips, Executive Director
" You go above and beyond and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate it so much and always enjoy my time with you. The presentations give me so much to bring back to my agency and my subrecipients. "

Amy Rast, Public Transit Coordinator Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)
" I always used the CASE (Copy And Steal Everything) method to develop training materials until I discovered RTAP. They give it to you for free. Use it! "

John Filippone, former National RTAP Review Board Chair
" National RTAP provides an essential service to rural and small transit agencies. The products are provided at no cost and help agencies maximize their resources and ensure that their employees are trained in all aspects of passenger service. "

Dan Harrigan, Former National RTAP Review Board Chair
" We were able to deploy online trip planning for Glasgow Transit in less than
90 days using GTFS Builder. Trip planning information displays in a riders'
native language, which supports gencies in travel training and meeting Title VI
mandates. "

Tyler Graham, Regional Transportation Planner Barren River Area Development District
Slide title

" Having a tool like GTFS Builder is really light years ahead of what it used to be at one time in terms of how fast you can put everything together. Our university students really can't imagine transit without it, so I think it's very important for us in terms of attracting that particular demographic. "

Michael Lachman, Transportation Services Manager HAPCAP - Athens Transit
Slide title

" In the past we used proprietary database software that was very challenging, very murky, and hard to update. GTFS Builder is a great opportunity to make this more user-friendly, more readily updatable and it
would enable us to show how to create a GTFS to more of the staff. "

Jaime McKay, Former Manager of Direct Services Center for Mobility Equity
Slide title

" Collaboration is a buzz word these days in the industry. On behalf of our Tribal segment, I appreciate RTAP for making Tribes a partner in industry opportunities. The organization goes over and beyond reaching partners one would not expect in a busy industry such as public transportation. Thank you for your tireless efforts! "

Franklin Akoneto, Comanche Nation
Slide title

"We are so very thankful for all your transportation training materials. Your resources are as valuable as gold!"

Holly Walton, Transportation Assistant Manager, Curative Connections

A program of the Federal Transit Administration administered by the Neponset Valley TMA

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